In an attempt to be the genie behind the development of Team USA in its endeavors against the world this summer, my thoughts came to a pre-weekend analysis of the roster. With the Champions Cup this weekend and all the candidates in Florida during this week’s freeze of the East Coast, it has the feel of MLL Fantasy Draft weekend. Who will make the final team will likely determine the results of this weekend.
Attack:
The man of the year is certainly Rob Pannell and I would consider him a lock for the team. With the work he put in at Cornell and in the MLL this past summer, he should be donning the Red, White and Blue in Denver. Matt Danowski has put his name high on the list with the results of the Charlotte Hounds campaign making it to the championship game last summer. His game can even take the tone of his days at Duke when he had the room to work behind the cage when he wanted. Having proven goal scorers will benefit Danowski and I can see him and Pannell as the primary handlers behind the cage.
Garrett Thul is this year’s Adam Fullerton of 2010. Fullerton made the team fresh of his run at West Point and played well in the time that he had. Thul will be the main scoring threat with others carrying the ball. He will be true to this form from Army as the goal scorer for the team. Like Thul, Drew Westervelt can score. He has the ability to not be one diamential but he will be counted on adding to the scoreboard. Westy has the ability to play within the offense.
If Brendan Mundorf has made a full recovery, he will be on there. Right now I am assuming he will not be since he is not participating during the challenge. So my attack will rest with Pannell, Danowski, Thul, and Ned Crotty. Crotty can play up top or below the cage, so his versatility will be needed. Steele Stanwick is certainly an option and it is hard keeping him off the roster. Given that he played in Ohio shouldn’t deter anyone from putting him on the roster, but he plays a similar game to Danowski and Pannell, as he likes the ball in his hands. I think he would make the roster if Crotty were considered a midfielder. With all this talent, it is hard to keep too many ball carriers on the roster and have room for players who can play within the system.
Midfield:
The only person who can miss this weekend and still make the roster is Paul Rabil. Given that he is maybe the top player in the world, an All-Every Award winner, and the face of US Lacrosse at the recent convention, your ticket is booked. Max Seibald is another who can make the team as long as his health is in the clear. Given his history of injuries, he has been getting well and should be at full strength. He has a spirit and leadership, along with talent, to be the best in the world. Seibald can play both sides of the field as well. He proved that with the Wings, as he was not a liability on the defensive end like others can be.
Kevin Buchanan has been playing well with the Wings lately and he is a goal scorer from either the midfield or attack. He can play within any system with his knowledge of the game. Kyle Harrison might be the eldest player on the roster when it is all said and done. Having graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2005, he has been logging his minutes in his LXM Tour. Watching the highlight reel from those games, you can see he still has it. His experience and sheer athleticism will make him an attractive candidate for another go with Team USA.
Matt Striebel should be allowed to play if he wants to. As a MLL participant told me before, he is the best athlete on any field you put him on. He doesn’t need the ball in his stick for an extended amount of time and he is always on the positive side of the plus/minus category. I think the heir apparent in the international game might just be David Lawson, out of Duke. He is a great athlete and can play the transition game to get easy goals. His ability doesn’t stop there as he can break through a defense to get points on his own. If he can work within Coach Meade’s scheme, count on Lawson making the jump to Team USA.
Dan Burns, Matt Mackrides, Drew Snider, Jeremy Sieverts and Jojo Marasco will have to fit it out for the remaining midfield spots. Steven Brooks can flat out shoot the ball and might be able to squeeze onto the roster. If it comes down to him and anyone of the combination above, they will take Brooks on the fact that he has the experience to be there. Maybe the coaching staff wants to infuse the next great player that is a little green under his gills. Youth is abundant here, so I believe they will hold on to Brooks if he is one of the last to be considered.
Offensive midfielders considered, I am going with the following for the Top Six: Paul Rabil, Max Seibald, Matt Striebel, Kyle Harrison, David Lawson, and Jojo Marasco.
SSDM:
This is a position where the United States will be the most athletic in the world. Matt Abbott is a lock in my view. He has the best offensive capability if they need him to take runs on offense. Jeff Reynolds is the other that I believe will be there in Denver. He is another great athlete and is versatile to where he can face off as well. That versatility is key to putting him over the edge against the competition. Schiller has logged a lot of miles for lacrosse and I think they will look for youth here. Kevin Drew and Matt Abbott come from the same mold as Jarrett Park, all Syracuse athletes. I don’t think you want to add too much of a good thing here. Stephen Peyser can face off, play offense, and defense. He is listed as a defensive midfielder, but I think he might be too much of everything and not enough of one thing to make the roster.
Facing off it is Mike Poppelton. His competition is Anthony Kelly and Chris Eck. Kelly is a big strong player that may not be able to beat people off the draw cleanly. Eck is probably the favorite going into the weekend. He has a wealth of big game experience and has played against all the best competition more than the other two. Between Poppelton and Eck this weekend and who gets the best will determine the winner in this race. After all, Eck is on one side and Poppelton on the other. That has to be a sign from the coaching staff.
LSM:
The long stick position has a wealth of experience to choose from. Mike Simon, Brian Farrell, Kyle Sweeney, and Kyle Hartzell. Those are four tenacious defenders that can leave opponents bruised. Farrell and Hartzell are my favorites for the position. Both can play down low if needed, but excel between the restraining lines. Also, they each possess an offensive capability. That mix of talents will make them roster bound. Sweeney has the experience but played last season at close defense. Having graduated college more than a decade ago, I think he may have lost the legs to play LSM. He would fit down low, but that is a while other basket of talent as well that has some great players.
Defense:
Lee Zink has to be on the roster. He may be the best defenseman in the MLL year in and year out. Zink can cover anyone as he has the speed to keep up and the length to be incredibly difficult to beat. Michael Evans and Tucker Durkin are also heavy favorites to make the squad. Evans is an animal on the field and has a take no prisoners approach to the game. Durkin is much in the same fashion as Evans, so I think they will only take one of the two. If I were the General Manager, I would take both but that is why I am on the outside looking in. Joe Fletcher would be the youngest member of the squad. A First Team All-American last season, he is a great player but he might be just a stretch for the coaching staff. As there is much less availability to coach these players and he has a long season ahead, that is a lot of lacrosse to play before the World Games even start.
Brett Schmidt could be called upon to start for the team. He comes from a long line of great Maryland defenders that Coach Meade and his staff has seen for years. I believe his name will be on the roster as well. Mitch Belisle, Brian Karalunas, and Brett Buckley are all on the roster for the challenge. Belisle holds the added advantage of experience over the rest and that might make a huge difference to the coaching staff. Karalunas has been impressive since his days in college ended. He has been a “hot” name since he led Villanova. He is my bubble player. If they take six defensemen then he is on the list. Buckley is an athlete and if you have had the chance to see Army games in the past two years, you were certainly impressed by this athlete.
My final defensive alignment goes to: Zink, Evans, Schmidt, Belisle.
Goalies:
All-American selections all over the place and All-Pros galore, but I think there are clear favorites here. Jesse Schwartzman has been a household name on the professional circuit and he will make the squad. Drew Adams is the other. Both have been valuable to their franchises in the pro league, but they also are goalies that have the ability to make unbelievable stops from up top and from in tight. That is what sets them apart. Galloway is the best at clearing the ball, but this isn’t the Syracuse run-n-gun style of play. Kip Turner has been streaking in his days during and after college. I am going with Adams and Schwartzman for the goalie position and Schwartzman as the starter.
Conclusion:
All these players are athletes; it is just a couple have what seems to be superhero ability at times. Rabil can take on an army, just ask Syracuse in 2009. Max Seibald carried a Big Red squad for most of his career and has the leadership to match. Michael Evans took over games with his furious nature of defending. Jesse Schwartzman was an MVP twice in his time at Hopkins and an All-Pro every year in the MLL. Lee Zink has played against the opposing top player for the duration of his time since likely middle school lacrosse. Kyle Hartzell lost one game while at Salisbury, that was in overtime to Cortland State.
All of these athletes are competitors and in competition for the greatest stage of sport, playing for the honor of team and country. The Red, White and Blue would be proud to have any of these men on the team, but here is my early prediction of the roster.
Enjoy the challenge in sunny Florida.
